The Victoria Hotel, once located in a quiet corner of Commissariat Road, attracted people from different walks of life for its quiet gardens and sumptuous breakfast. The concrete building, widely known as Bangalore Central Mall, stands at the spot where a regal estate sprawled across an acre of land once sat, with a humble bungalow surrounded by lush gardens on all sides. The erstwhile Victoria Ho

At the junction of Central Street and Cubbon Road in central Bengaluru, is a large stone structure built in the medieval Tudor-style. This 103-year-old building, with an illustrious past, is the army's canteen. To old Bengalureans, it will always be the BRV theatre. BRV's history dates back to the early 1880s. "BRV or the Bangalore Rifle Volunteers was formed as part of the Madras Army in 1884. Si

It definitely is the end of an era. With the rise of multiplexes and the increase in the range of services available here, the single-screen movie theatres have had to call it a day. These theatres defined how movies were watched in the 1900s and have helped Bengalureans make tons of memories since their opening. Here bring to you a few old theatres of Bengaluru which we’ll surely miss visiting. R

Photo Credit: Instagram/Senjuti_KunduThe foundation of modern Mumbai’s eating out culture is believed to have been laid when the Irani cafes were set up a century and a half ago. The ‘cabin’ restaurants of Kolkata came up roughly around the same time and some would say that they play a similar role in the development of Kolkata’s restaurant scene. These restaurants were referred to as ‘cabins’, pr

Military platter Meat and rice are mainstays of the menu here Sudhakara jain and V Sreenivasa Murthy The New Govinda Rao Military Hotel, in the tiny bylanes of Akkipet, Bengaluru, is now 110 years old, and they still cook a memorablebiryanion firewood When you think South Indian food, what comes to your mind first? Fluffy idli s, brown dosa s and dollops of sambar ? At the historic New Govind Rao

Food is one of the simplest ways to be introduced to a new culture. You can sit in Bengaluru and get a taste of Italy, Vietnam and France, and of the culture there. But how about getting in touch with your roots and culture? Picture this: Like-minded people coming together, chatting over food and thereby getting in touch with their heritage and culture. That’s what city-based food walks aim to do.

Hyderabadi Biriyani! That is the first thing that comes to mind when people think of food from Hyderabad. In addition there is Gongura Chicken, different kinds of mutton based on specialties from Rayalseema, kheema samosa, kheema naan and so many other meat-based foods that bring joy to meat lovers. But, this article is not about the non-vegetarian food of Hyderabad, but its vegetarian food, which

T here is a side to the twin cities that few tourists venture to see, but most locals guard zealously, preserving a piece of history that has its own fan following: the simple Irani chai, served in Irani cafes, the sweet tea served in tiny cups. The 17-km stretch between Shah Ali Banda in the Old City and the Clock Tower on SD Road in Secunderabad is home to 29 such Irani cafes, all serving their

Irani Chai is one of the specialties of Hyderabad. This was first introduced by Persians & soon evolved in the city of Hyderabad. Surroundings of Charminar has great tasting Irani chai with uniqueness in its taste. slowly brewed spices gives the tea decoction and nice flavor. Irani Chai is best when served with Fruitcake cookies, Jeera biscuits or Khara biscuit on the side. Want to taste the authe

Beyond biryani, a taste that lingers: The last Irani Chai cafes of Hyderabad Hyderabad’s iconic Garden cafe was recently demolished to make way for a Metro Rail pillar. “Let us meet at Garden,” an old friend, returning to Hyderabad after years, had texted. Garden is dead and gone, but I did not tell him that by return text.  It was one of the largest Irani chai cafes (Chai "cafes"? Well, that's wh

Disappearing Heritage Irani Cafés - the character-filled and historic cafésNote 1 and restaurants started by India's IraniNote 2 Zoroastrians - are a fast disappearing feature of Mumbai and Pune's (Bombay and Poona's)Note 3 landscape. According to a report by Naomi Lobo of the Indian Express, while there were 350 Irani cafés in the 1950s, by 2005 the number had dwindled to just 25. Most of the sur

They say change is constant, but not for Mumbai’s Irani cafés. They refuse to change a thing, and thrive. So, what makes a café Irani? You don’t have to be an Irani to open one, and you can have pretty much anything on the menu. But you cannot be an Irani café if you do not have at least three of these: bun-maska, chai, marble-topped tables, bentwood chairs, glass jars full of stuff no one ever bu

Customers sit beneath a portrait of Rabindranath Tagore in the Indian Coffee House, Kolkata, India. (© Stuart Freedman, Courtesy Tasveer) As outlets of Starbucks and trendy artisanal cafes mushroom across urban India, a relic of the past still hosts loyalists and gives visitors a different experience. Introduced in the colonial era by the Indian Coffee Board to popularise the beverage, coffee hous

David Nahoum; (top, above) the notice outside the shop announcing his death on Thursday. Picture by Sanjoy Ghosh The famous fudge and fruit cake will be back on the shelves after a day but David Nahoum, the familiar face behind the cash till at the landmark Nahoum & Sons in New Market, won’t. David, who was to turn 86 in April, passed away on Thursday morning at Fortis Hospitals, his last visit to

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Hot, Strong And South Indian: Where To Get Your Filter Coffee Fix Alright, we’re writing this one with armour on and shields up. After all, we know how dear and personal filter coffee can be to you fellow Bangaloreans. But we’re smart you see. We asked you to pick your most-loved spots for that steaming kaapi fix on our app. And after over 30 suggestions on the poll, we’ve ‘filtered’ it down to th